Opportunity's Hand
by Sir Heroden
Summary: Is not every day that one's half brother comes to bust you out of the Underworld. And it's definitely not everyone's fate to live again. Hazel could see it was a great opportunity, but will she fully embrace it? The story of how Nico breaks Hazel out of the Underworld and welcomes her to the modern world . Two part story about how our favourite siblings meet and bond.
1. Chapter 1

~0~

The young man searched her face, perhaps for some tingle of deception. An emotion that Hazel could only place as desperate hope flickered across his face, but faded almost as soon as it came- so quickly that she wondered if she's been mistaken.

He held out his hand and leaned down slightly, palm up, as if he were a gentleman inviting her to a dance. Hazel felt her mouth lift into a smile. He _was_ a prince coming to rescue a damsel in distress- It was a traditional fairytale plot, but just minus the happiness and hope.

Oh the irony- she hadn't even the known the boy for more than a few minutes and now he was offering to save her?

The most important thing was that she had a choice now. That was a new feeling. She'd never chosen to be born as a demigod, or to have a crazed mother influenced by an evil goddess. The only thing she'd got to choose in her lifetime was to die.

How long had passed since she came to the Underworld?

Time probably ran differently here, for all she knew it could have been hundreds of years since she sat down before the judges of the Underworld and offered to compromise her place in Elysium to get a place in Asphodel for her mother.

Everyone she'd known would be dead. She'd be all alone- a little girl stuck in a strange place. Really, what would there be for her in the mortal world? A brother that she'd never met until today, and a strange landscape where she would never fit in?

Nico seemed to sense her hesitance, and took it for mistrust. Her half-brother leaned down further, bracing his leg against the side of the boat, making the vessel rock slightly and dip towards her. A strand of dark hair dropped and brushed the side of his face.

"You're my sister too. You deserve another chance."

His mouth twisted into a smile, but Hazel thought it looked more like a grimace, and figured that Nico wasn't someone that smiled much.

"Come with me."

The daughter of Pluto took a deep breath. Surely any life had to be better than this never-ending existence. There was nothing for her here in the Underworld- death had given her a rest from a world that hated her, but it hasn't given her any answers.

There was something awfully dull and depressing about this simple existence that made her want to live again. She wanted to feel the simple pleasures being alive. Eating actual food. Having a choice of clothing. Meeting people that could actually hold a conversation- that weren't so lost in their past.

Breathing. Gods, how she missed that. The simple smell of clean, fresh air.

Hazel knew that all living things died, so she would be back here one day, but right now…

Before she could change her mind, the daughter of Pluto reached up and grasped the Nico's hand. She stepped up onto the vessel, which rocked dangerously. Nico's hold tightened and she gripped his other arm instinctively for balance.

Fear.

The brief emotion flashed across his face. She wasn't sure why. Maybe the young man was just coming to terms with the new responsibility that he'd taken on without a moment's thought. That's just too bad, she thought, he was stuck with her now.

The long grey robe trailed into the boat and filled the space awkwardly, and she sneaked a glance at the skeletons that were working hard to steer with the new weight added. She turned back to Nico and found his eyes frantically searching her face.

He cleared his throat hastily and looked away, "Hazel, is it?" She nodded. "Look, I'm not sure if-"

The daughter of Pluto didn't want to hear her saviour's uncertainty. It was much better to imagine him as completely sure and dependable. She stopped his jumbled words with an embrace.

Despite his haggard appearance, there was a certain tautness to the way that he held himself that only those experienced with the art of survival could. Hazel felt his surprised jerk and an instinctive bunching of muscles. Then he relaxed and draped an arm around her. The other still dangled by his side.

She could hear his heart beat unnaturally fast even through his jacket, and that combined with the loose hold showed that Nico didn't really have his heart in returning her display of affection.

He's probably working out how to break us out of the Underworld, she thought. _Or maybe he just doesn't care_.

Nico murmured something under his breath and the skeletons nearby got to work, rowing the boat through what only seemed like air. Her half-brother released her, and Hazel saw that he bore an uncanny resemblance to their father.

She recalled faintly the first, and only, time she'd met him, on the dirty stairs leading to the shabby apartment that she shared with her mother. She remember the feeling of disbelief that made her heart drop to the ground as she beheld her father- a rich, white man who had just chosen to appear in her life after being absent for more than a dozen years. She didn't think she could ever forget the overwhelming sense of betrayal that made her want to jump up and claw at his face.

Then Pluto had given her some colouring pencils, as if that made up for all the suffering she and her mother had endured all those years. She snorted in disbelief.

Nico looked cautiously at her at the sound, but turned away quickly when their eyes met.

In that instance, she saw that same sharp jawline, angled nose and brows. Nico would almost be a splitting image of their father, had he been older. But what was most curious was the fact that there had been the same kind of confused emotions flitting across his face as there had been on Pluto's.

~0~

"Hazel."

She jerked awake quickly. The voice was unfamiliar and for a moment she was scared. But then Nico's figure moved slowly into her line of sight. "Wake up. We're nearly there."

Hazel sat up slowly.

She felt… weird, but in a good way. Looking down at her outstretched hands, she could see colour returning to them. Little white clouds of mist swirled around her head and with a start she realised that she was breathing. She sucked in a deep breath of cold air and exhaled.

"I'm breathing." She said, before she could stop herself.

Nico turned around, "That's good, right?" He shrugged apologetically, "Honestly, I have no idea. I've never done this before."

She nodded at him and stood to looked around. They were surrounded by an oppressing grey mist, but ahead of them, she could make out the shape of a jetty faintly. The boat was coming to a stop now and she dimly heard the skeletons chatter in preparation for a safe landing. Nico stood at the bow of the ship, attended by a skeleton in the least tatter uniform, silent and unmoving- possibly deep in thought.

Before them, a desolate beach of black sand and grey rocks appeared and seemed to stretch on forever. The beach arced up into what looked like a dune, but then turned out to a steep hill and then an entire mountain side that was devoid of life.

The Underworld was sure a depressing place all round.

Suddenly, a beam of light fell across her face and caught her attention. Her eyes scanned the rock face until she found its source. It came from small, almost invisible incision in the tall cliff face before them. Small cuts in the rock face were designed like stairs.

She hoped they weren't going to scale that.

Nico shuffled over and sat down heavily next to her, his chain belt rattling. The demigod eased his sword out of the way so that its hilt didn't dig into his ribs and sighed. "You've seen it then? It's a small exit of the Underworld. Normally Thanatos would guard it, but now…"

The sentence was left unsaid. She didn't need to be reminded how lucky she was. "Are we going to climb it?"

"Yeah." Nico twisted the ring on his finger. "It's not as hard as it looks."

Hazel noted that whenever the boy twisted that ring, a lie was going to spew from his mouth.

"Do you have a knife?" She asked instead.

"What for?"

Hazel gestured to the grey robes of the dead and mimicked running a finger over the long trailing fabric. Nico hesitated, one hand on his sword pommel, and then waved a skeleton over, "Give her your sword."

It took some time, and she was unused to the feel of cold metal in her hands, but Hazel eventually managed to hack off most of the grey cloth. Just as she handed the dagger back, the boat bumped gently against the pier and Nico clambered up, waving away his soldiers' offers of help.

Hazel followed with the grace of a drunken elephant.

The skeleton soldiers chittered and looked to Nico for direction. The demigod nodded, "You're all dismissed. Thanks."

The one that had lent her his sword saluted fist to heart, "My lord."

Hazel watched as the boat gave a lurch and began to sail away. As she watched the vessel picked up speed, moving impossibly fast until it was swallowed up by the grey mist that seemed ever-present.

She felt truly alone now. Even though the skeletons didn't say a word, at least their presence had kept her company. Now she only had her half-brother.

The daughter of Pluto swung around at the thought. A wave of panic threatened to overwhelm her as he failed to appear in her direct line of sight.

"Nico!"

Something moved up on the rock face and she ran crossed the length of the small beach, clambering up the sand dune quickly, hoping that it was Nico up there and not some strange monster. A slightly annoyed face turned to look down at her as she stopped, neck taunt with the effort of being arched back completely.

Nico's dark clothing had blended in so seamlessly with the rocks that she found it hard to focus on him in the dim light. If he hadn't moved, she wouldn't have even noticed him, despite being barely two metres below. If she reached up on tiptoes she could reach his foot- the proximity reassured her.

Nico's scowl ruined the safe feeling, "What?"

She waved to signal a negative and her brother rolled his eyes. "Come on then. Follow the markings and climb."

He extended a pale finger to point at something near her head on the near vertical slope. Hazel tried to decipher what the boy was trying to show her. After a while, her eyes finally adjusted to the darkness and she could see that the place where Nico was pointing was slightly lighter coloured than the rock that surrounded it. She ran a hand over it and quickly retreated at its coldness.

"Oh!" She exclaimed. "It's cold!"

"Yeah. It's metal- copper." Nico began to climb again, "I don't know who put them in, but it's obviously supposed to be an exit from the Underworld."

Hazel nodded, gingerly reaching up to grasp the metal handhold. If they could be called that, she thought, they were more like little grooves cut into the rock and half filled with copper so there was a little space left for your fingers. She looked up to see Nico scaling the wall like some kind of four legged spider.

More cautiously, she followed in his wake.

"How much further?" She called out after what seemed like hours.

"Not much further now. Only about twenty metres?" Nico glanced over. He had slowed down to wait for her a while ago and now they were climbing side by side, "Thirty at the most."

Hazel glanced down and immediately regretted it. The sand of the beach was black and from here, it looked like the drop went on forever downwards. If she fell… Just as she felt the energy drain out of her, a strong hand grasped her shoulder.

"Hey! It's fine." Nico peered into her eyes and smiled awkwardly. He let go of her shoulder and rested a hand on her back, giving her a gentle push so that she was closer to the wall. "We're nearly there. We can have a rest when we're safe." The boy's breath misted in the cold air and while he didn't exactly look like the epitome of honesty, Hazel trusted him completely in that instant.

"I'm scared," Hazel took a deep breath and tightened her grip in the mental grip, "What happens if I fall?"

Her half-brother paused in reaching for the next handhold. He glanced down as well and then back at her, "Nothing. I mean, you're dead, right? It's not like you can die again."

She felt like slapping him for the indifferent tone in his voice, but there was something very reassuring about his brutal honesty. "So… will I just reappear in the fields again?"

"I don't know," Nico admitted and then grinned, "I don't take dead people out of the Underworld every day, you know. This is the first time."

He started to climb again and she followed with new found strength. The wall seemed easier to scale, and her breaths came easier. A sudden thought crossed her mind, "What happens if you fall?"

"Then I die, I guess."

~0~

She reached up to grab Nico's hand and allowed herself to be hoisted up the edge of the tall rock face. She tried to stand, but her legs failed and she stumbled, falling to a heap on the dusty ground and dragging her half-brother down as well.

Nico didn't even bother getting up.

Hazel didn't want him to either- his arm was a nice cushion. With her head so close to his chest, she could feel the way his chest heaved up and down with the effort of breathing and she realised that the climb hadn't been as easy on him as he'd led her to believe. _Especially since he had to literally drag you up the last ten or so metres_ , an annoying mental voice said.

It was good that he pretended, she thought with a hint of gratitude, because if she saw that he was struggling she'd have given up any hope of escape.

Hazel let him have a rest and then rolled over, blinking as dust flew into her eyes at the sudden movement. Resisting the sudden urge to sneeze, she sat up and prodded her brother with a finger. "Come on. Let's go."

Nico opened one eye wearily and sighed, "Fine."

They clambered up and stood together to look at the sight before them. The top of the cliff face was a ledge no more than ten metres wide, but seemed to stretch on indefinitely to both sides. In front of them was the opening of a passage way.

There was a pinpoint of light at the very end of the tunnel.

Even though, it reminded her unpleasantly of those stereotypical movies where a dead person walks towards a light symbolic of heaven, she still felt a rush of pleasure and felt her mouth stretch up into a smile. She swung around to see if Nico was sharing the same sense of exhilaration, and was disappointed to find her half-brother looking serious and uncertain.

"Is everything alright?" She asked, genuinely confused. Was Nico having second thoughts about saving her? Well, if he was, that's just too bad.

Nico hesitated and glanced around, "No… I mean, yes. Something just doesn't feel right. It's like a gut feeling-"

"You're just being paranoid." She took his arm and wheeled him over to the passageway. As she got closer, Hazel could hear a faint humming noise coming from the entrance. Before Nico could tell her more about his gut feelings, they stepped into the tunnel.

Immediately, Hazel felt better- stronger. More solid. Not only could she feel actual blood rushing behind her skin, but her memories were now painfully clear. Her last view of her mother was no longer misted; Gaea's face was also clear and a very unpleasant sight. Beside her, Nico inhaled sharply and clutched his chest.

She steadied him, "What's wrong? Are you alright?"

The son of Hades struggled out of her hold, instead leaning on the tunnel wall. "Can you hear that?"

"No?"

Nico groaned and clutched his head, "Gods. Stop talking."

Hazel looked confused. " Are you talking to me?"

Her brother shook his head, "No. You shut up. Don't even say word." He drew his sword and stared at the naked blade as if it were a lifeline. "Not you, Hazel. You! Shut up now!" He swiped the sword in front of him.

Eventually, the young man got over his momentary insanity and sheathed his weapon. "Hazel," he croaked out, "Come on. We need to get out of here quickly."

He took her left hand and just about dragged her through the passage. She allowed herself to be led, running slightly as to not fall over, uncertain about what exactly was going on. She managed to endure this for a few hundred metres before she struggled out of Nico's too tight grip.

"Stop right now!" She took in Nico's pale features as he swung about, "What in god's name is going on?"

Nico didn't answer, but instead looked at the light at the end of the tunnel. It was closer than before, but it was obvious they still had some way to go. She press her hand against his forehead as he was distracted and was shocked, "Nico! You're burning up. What's happening?"

Now she was worried. She had barely any knowledge about first aid or medicines. They'd been trained on how to apply bandages in school, but a fever wasn't really something that bandages could fix. She didn't even have any bandages right now.

The demigod looked at her, his eyes glazed over slightly. "I- I don't know. But…this tunnel- It's doing something weird to me."

"Weird?"

Nico pulled her forwards again, "I think it's draining my mortal essence to make you more solid."

As strange as the claim sounded, Hazel could see that he was right. Even as she became stronger, Nico looked weaker. She could positively feel sparks dance across her skin. It was a great feeling. Only the slight of sweat running down the side of her half-brother's face dampened the feeling. She followed him quickly.

If Nico was having his mortal essence drained, then his godly side would burn him into a crisp. She bit her lip in frustration. Damn this stupidity.

"What do I do then?" She asked.

Nico shook his head, "What?"

"What do I do? To stop you from…" Hazel hesitated. Dying? Disappearing? Disintegrating?

He didn't even bother turn around, "I don't know. We just need to get out of this tunnel right now."

For a while they made good progress. The tunnel was a lot longer than it looked, and there was still about thirty metres to go when Nico collapsed and refused to get up. Hazel knelt down next to him and shook him, "Nico! Come on, we're nearly there!"

"No… Let me rest." His breathe hitched and he began to cough, half turned on his side. Hazel went to help, but Nico shrieked in pain the moment her fingers touched his back. "It hurts even more when you're nearby," he choked out.

Hazel felt close to tears. A traitorous voice in her head told to just run for it- to leave Nico here to die. After all, it wasn't like she had the strength to drag her brother to the entrance anyways. But then something clicked in her mind. The closer to Nico she got, the weaker he became… which meant that she should get stronger. Because it was an exchange, right?

She had no time to sit and think it through. The theory had to be right. If it wasn't, Nico was going to die. But if she did nothing, he was going to die anyways.

The daughter of Pluto hooked her arms under Nico's armpits and tried to ignore the way his breath was rasping. The boy struggled weakly in her hold and tried to break free as her close contact drained his strength even more. Hazel just ignored him and kept dragging.

Gradually she felt strength seep into her. Her muscles worked better than they ever had and she found it easier to drag Nico along. If only he could stop struggling, she thought, as she was nearly pulled over again.

The light was right behind her now and even though Nico was dangerously still in her grip, Hazel felt a rush of confident overwhelm her. They were going to make it.

Finally, she felt warmth on her back and gave one final tug.

They were out.

It seemed that they were on top of some kind of cliff as well, with a whole forest of greenery. Hazel fell to her knees beside her brother and shook him. Nico groaned and she felt a rush of relief.

Her brother blinked at her. "What happened?"

Hazel took one look at his confused face and began to laugh. She had almost forgotten what it had felt like to be alive. She crawled over to the edge of the cliff and felt Nico shuffled over too, raising one eyebrow in such a way that she knew he was questioning her sanity, but kept silent.

As her brother gulped down something from a flask, Hazel spread her arms wide and enjoyed the feeling of air rushing under them. For a moment, she could forget that she was the daughter of a god or that her life would always be overshadowed by mortality.

For that one moment in time, she could stand there and simply admire the orange fire lighting up the dawn sky. There was something tranquil and yet intense powerful about the sight that she couldn't explain. But she felt the intensely human desire for survival kick in again and she realised that she owed Nico more than she could ever repay for giving her another chance.

Before the thought passed and was gone forever, she turned around to face her brother and enveloped him in a tight embrace. Nico started in surprise, but returned the gesture carefully.

Hazel found herself overwhelmed with the smell of leather and dust, but didn't really mind.

~0~

 **Dear Readers: This story is a repost of an old story that has been edited and there will be a new part coming in the next few days or so. If you liked it, please motivate me to write more stories by favouriting or leaving a comment.**

 **H.**


	2. Chapter 2

~0~

As great as the feeling of freedom was, Hazel knew they couldn't sit on a rock watching the sunrise forever. Sunrises didn't last forever, and now that she was alive, there was a gnawing hunger in her stomach that recommended that she consume some food, before she died. Eating- she couldn't wait to do that.

It was strange how the simplest things in life had meaning when death came. Even though there was no way of knowing, Hazel was pretty sure that she didn't anticipate eating food so eagerly in life as she was now.

She sneaked a glance over at her brother and paused. She replayed the thought in her mind.

Her _brother_.

What a strange concept it was.

Back in that cavern, where the molten metal had first sheered her skin, she didn't scream. She had accepted her fate. After all, she would be like a martyr, a young girl that gave her life so that millions could live. She would be a hero, after all.

But there had always been a deep sense of sadness. Sadness for a life lost. Sadness for a life that she could never have. Now, as she glanced at the pale flesh of the by beside her, she felt conflicting emotions bubbling within her mind. Fear. Happiness. Curiosity.

Yes, she was curious.

Full of questions about this new world and about the brother that risked his life to save her.

She wondered who he was, whether he had a family, friends, maybe even a lover? He had mentioned having a sister, so did he have other siblings? What goals did he have, what deeds had he done? There were a million questions that she wanted to ask, but something prevented her from asking. Maybe it was a kind of respect for his personal space, or it was her instincts telling her that this was not the right time.

They had sat at the edge of the cliff and dangled their legs in the air for some time when Nico stood and stretched. He ran a hand through his hair and began to pace behind her.

"So, you're a daughter of Pluto, right?"

Hazel turned around and smiled nervously at him, "Duh! How else could I be your sister?"

"Yeah." He came to a stop and nodded cautiously, "…My sister."

Hazel left him to his worried pacing and fixed her gaze on a point in the distant horizon, where the sky was bathed with fire. She was a bit too young to be nostalgic, but a depressing thought had just occurred to her.

"Everyone I knew is dead, aren't they?" She said flatly.

She heard Nico pause in his pacing and then softly exhale, "Yes."

The sniff came out of her throat before she could stop it. A tear rolled down her cheek and she felt weak for crying like a baby. Before she knew it, a flood of tears were streaming down her face and she was making ugly hiccupping noises.

 _I'm a horrible person,_ she thought briefly, _for burdening my new brother with this._

Nico, for his part, knelt down beside her and looked helpless. He wringed his hands together, and out of the corner of her eyes she saw the long, agile digits twisting in an uncomfortable dance.

"I'm sorry." He said anxiously.

She didn't say anything- just remained silent. As silent as she could with the tears pouring down her cheeks.

"Look- I don't know. The people that you knew in your last life… Maybe they're still alive- Just really old. They probably have descendants." Nico pinched the bridge of his nose, "At least you're here now- alive. It's another chance. You can live the life that you would have had, would have wanted to live."

Hazel swallowed thickly and looked at the other demigod through a blurry curtain. "I know. I'm not blaming you. I'm sorry… I just- I can't believe that they're gone. My time in the Underworld felt so short. How could everything have changed so fast? I'm scared. What's going to happen now? What am I going to do?"

The words tumbled out of her mouth in a rush and something like guilt flashed in Nico's eyes. He looked down for a moment and then steeled himself. "You'll be fine. I promise. There's a camp for people like us. I'll take you there."

"Now?"

"No." He shook his head and his tone softened, "It's getting late. We need to get something to eat and sleep, and then I'll answer any questions you have."

"Then we go the camp?"

"Look, the camp isn't a place you can just waltz into. It's like a military institution. I'll need to talk to the leader and then it's up to them to decide."

She swallowed thickly, "So they might not want me?"

Nico sighed, clearly trying to reign in his frustration. "Of course they will, Hazel. Why would they not?"

Hazel had meant to say more, but she shut her mouth. Her stomach rumbled and the prospect of food was suddenly more appealing. Her brother was obviously at his wits end dealing with her and she was going to try to not annoy him any further.

"Are you ready?" Nico had stood up now and moved towards a shadow behind a rock. "We should leave."

She went over to him and gripped the arm that he offered. "Yes. Let's go."

~0~

They landed in mass of noise and shouting in a swirl of shadows. Hazel lurched over onto the hard ground and dragged Nico down with her. If that was what her brother called 'shadow travel', then she never wanted to do that again.

She felt her face, reassuring herself it was still there and firmly attached. The world flash into existence sudden and she gave a shout of surprise and jumped up.

Neon lights and loud voices. Faces, unfamiliar, blank and cold. Where was she?

Something zoomed past her and she screamed, covering her ears and screwing her eyes shut.

Was this the future?

Nico caught her in an embrace again and was talking now, but Hazel wasn't paying attention to his voice.

Cocooned safely in a tight hug, she carefully turned her head to look through the gaps of the embrace. Now that she had gotten over her initiate shock, the world wasn't so bad. It was loud, and smelt weird, but she could deal with that.

At least the people looked normal, even if they were wearing way too little clothes. A woman even had her underwear showing, and there were too many massive cleavages being displayed through flimsy silk like cloth.

A man walked past and there was a small glowing rectangle in his hand. He kept his eyes glued to it, as it his life depended on it. Hazel dimmed wondering if he was alright, but then realised that those glowing rectangles and squares were everywhere.

"Are you alright?" Nico was shaking her at arm's length now. "I know this is a lot to take in, but… Hazel… Hazel?"

"Huh? Oh, I'm fine."

Her brother smiled in relief, "Welcome to the future then."

They linked hands and walked along the street. Hazel felt the curious eyes of a few people on her and started to struggle to take her hand out of Nico's.

"What's wrong?"

"People are staring at us," she whispered, "I don't want to cause any trouble for you, Nico."

Her brother swung about and fixed a passer-by with a glare that nearly sent the woman sprawling over. "Let them stare then. What trouble can they cause me?"

"Well, Nico- If you haven't noticed… I'm black, and you're white. So we can't-"

Understand flashed in the young man's eyes, and was quickly replaced by anger.

"When were you born?"

"1928."

"Damn," He muttered, "I forgot- That's when segregation was on, right? Look, Hazel- That's all bullshit. All people are born equal. Society has changed now, so don't ever think you're less than another person."

"Really? They don't abuse me anymore?" She couldn't believe it.

"Well, I can't promise you that." He admitted, "There's always going to be people that discriminate against others, because of their race, gender, even small things like hair colour- but don't ever let those jerks get you down."

He loosened his grip on her shoulders and locked eyes with her, "Life isn't _fair_ to everyone, but we're all in the same boat essentially. Those who think themselves better than others in life are in for a big shock when they come down to our father. What's eighty years of difference, when there's an eternity of similarity waiting for us?"

She nodded, struck silent.

The stood there for a moment, her soaking in the words and the feeling of being alive, while he was seemingly lost in his own thoughts.

In that moment, the world was full of promise. She didn't know what tomorrow would bring, but at least today had been the best day of her life.

~0~

 **Dear readers, if you enjoyed this, please leave me a favourite or a review- Much appreciated! Thank you!**


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